These past few weeks and the upcoming ones have been showing tropische Temperaturen (tropical temperatures) in Germany, with up to 40°C (104°F). Not only time to look for some Sonnencreme (sunscreen) and some Schatten (shade), but also a Sprichwort (saying) and an Ausdruck (expression) that go along with it! As always, let’s start with the Sprichwort.

For older posts, please follow this link. Now, let’s start with the Sprichwort (saying)!

Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, es gibt nur falsche Kleidung

Literally: There is no bad weather, there is only wrong clothing

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing

The idea behind this Sprichwort is quite the inverse of the hot temperatures we have right now. When the weather is too cold, and you complain that the weather is bad, you could say Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung. Sure, you can just add some layers, a cozy sweater like the one above, a nice thick coat, and you’re set. But what if the heat is so bad that even wearing a swimsuit is not cool enough? Then this Sprichwort becomes a fun way to show that, yes, bad weather is  thing. Let’s see an example of that:

Es ist so heiß! In diesem Wetter gehe ich nicht raus.

Wieso denn? Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, es gibt nur falsche Kleidung(!)

(It is so hot! In this weather, I am not going outside.

Why? There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing(!))

Bit of Humor (humor) can ease the pain of this heat!

Where exactly this Sprichwort originates, is difficult to find out. But considering the wisdom behind it, it probably has some age behind it.

Zu heiß baden

Literally: to bathe too hot

To have a knock in the cradle

This is quite a mean one. It means that you spinnt (are bonkers). But it can be funny due to the double meaning during these hot days! It is used jokingly in most cases. It is normally used a bit like this:

Alle Menschen sind doof.

Was soll das denn heißen? Du hast wohl zu heiß gebadet!

(All people suck.

What is that supposed to mean? You must have bathed too hot!)

After coming out of the water of the See (lake) during this hot weather, this could be fun one to use.

This Ausdruck only popped up in the 20. Jahrhundert (20th century). It is related to the idea that you were bathed too hot as a Kind (child), and now you are kind of dim. That bathing is related to failure can also be seen in Ausdrücke like baden gehen (to take a bath), which means as much as “going down” or “falling apart”. This meaning of failure comes from the idea of Ertrinken (drowning) or Versinken (sinking) in a Sumpf (swamp).

Have you used these two before? Will you use them? Do you have temperature-related sayings or expressions in your language? Let me know in the comments below!